Don can calm things down. He's good at pouring oil on troubled waters.
•Alice is very good at pouring oil on troubled water.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
pour oil on troubled water(s) — pour oil on troubled ˈwater(s) idiom to try to settle a disagreement or argument Main entry: ↑pouridiom … Useful english dictionary
pour oil on troubled waters — see under ↑water • • • Main Entry: ↑pour pour oil on troubled waters To take measures to calm down a stormy state of affairs, from the effect of pouring oil on rough water • • • Main Entry: ↑water * * * pour oil on troubled waters phrase to try… … Useful english dictionary
pour oil on troubled waters — Meaning Attempt to calm a problematic situation. Origin From the property of oil of flattening out the ripples on water when it spreads over it very thinly … Meaning and origin of phrases
pour — W3S2 [po: US po:r] v ↑cup, ↑saucer, ↑teapot ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(liquid)¦ 2¦(liquid/smoke)¦ 3¦(rain)¦ 4¦(people or things)¦ 5¦(light)¦ 6 pour cold water over/on something 7 pour scorn on somebody/something … Dictionary of contemporary English
oil — [oil] n. [ME oile < OFr < L oleum, oil, olive oil < Gr elaion, (olive) oil, akin to elaia,OLIVE] 1. any of various kinds of greasy, combustible substances obtained from animal, vegetable, and mineral sources: oils are liquid at ordinary… … English World dictionary
water — [[t]wɔ͟ːtə(r)[/t]] ♦ waters, watering, watered 1) N UNCOUNT Water is a clear thin liquid that has no colour or taste when it is pure. It falls from clouds as rain and enters rivers and seas. All animals and people need water in order to live. Get … English dictionary
oil — oilless, adj. oillessness, n. oillike, adj. /oyl/, n. 1. any of a large class of substances typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether or alcohol but not in water: used for anointing, perfuming … Universalium
pour — verb 1 LIQUID (T) to make a liquid or a substance such as salt or sand flow out of or into a container: pour sth into/out/down etc: Kim poured some water into a glass. | You might as well pour the oil down the drain. | pour sb sth: Why don t you… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
troubled waters — Digest 20/2002 emotionally rough times or an unsettled situation The boy has been arrested repeatedly and has been in and out of jail for months. He s deep in troubled waters. The expression uses the metaphor of rough (troubled) water. See: pour… … Idioms and examples
oil — /ɔɪl / (say oyl) noun 1. any of a large class of hydrocarbons or esters typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether and other organic solvents, but not in water, which are used for anointing,… …
water — See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, DEEP WATER, FISH OUT OF WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HEAD ABOVE WATER, HOLD WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HOT WATER, LIKE WATER, LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK S BACK, MAKE ONE S MOUTH… … Dictionary of American idioms
